Drops in the Bucket : Inuyasha
by Lady of the Ink
Summary: A set of 100 word fics featuring varied pairings and genres.
1. 5 Drops

**Drops in the Bucket (Inuyasha)  
**_**By** Lady of the Ink  
_**Pairings:** varied  
**Rating: **PG  
**Category: **General  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha, but you knew that . . .I hope. But I do own this story and all the plot twists it contains.

**A/N:** On every Friday the 13th that I can remember, something out of the ordinary has happened to me. Sometimes it was good, sometimes it was bad, sometimes it was just weird. But always there was something different. I decided to pay homage to that tradition by doing something a little different myself and writing 13 one hundred word fics for Friday the 13th.

The final total came to 5 Inuyasha fics, 5 Fruits Basket fics, and 3 Inuyasha/Escaflowne crossover fics. Below are the collected Inuyasha fics. I'll be posting the rest as well, with the Inuyasha/Escaflowne crossovers going into the Escaflowne category.

**x**

**x**

**Home Again  
**_(Sesshomaru and Rin)_

**x**

The approaching footsteps were slow but steady, shuffling against the stone floor at regular intervals. The unexpected guest's destination was clear as the hall led to one room only. Behind its door, Sesshomaru waited.

The smell arrived first, heavy with damp soil and decomposing plants, old blood and the cloying scent of a human.

A familiar human.

The door slammed open to reveal the shadowy figure standing there. Dark, tangled hair swirled about its shoulders as it turned burning eyes towards Sesshomaru. The dim moonlight caught on pointed fangs as the figure focused on him and smiled.

"I'm back, Sesshomaru-sama."

**x**

**x**

**What's Mine is Yours  
**_(Kikyo, Inuyasha and Kagome)_

**x**

"Are you sure about this?"

Kagome nodded, offering a gentle smile to the hanyou at her side. "It's not my home anymore, Inuyasha. After all that's happened, I belong here. I'll miss my family, but I know in my heart that this is the right decision. For all of us."

They turned to the other woman in the clearing with them. She looked slightly uncomfortable and a bit sad, but determined. Reaching out, Kagome touched her hand. "My mom's expecting you; she'll help you get settled. Make my life a good one."

Nodding her promise, Kikyo jumped into the well.

**_Now a full-length fic under the title "My Heart's True Home"._**

**x**

**x**

**Denied No More  
**_(Sesshomaru and Rin)_

**x**

He remembered what she looked like afterward, with tangled hair and blood-streaked skin. The sight had sickened him. It was a tableau to weakness; to urges that hadn't been controlled. Every time he saw her afterwards, it replayed in his mind. That was why he had sent her away.

But now here he was, retracing that path. Alone this time, but not for long.

She looked up when he entered, shifting the child in her arms. She smiled in welcome, as though she'd known he would come. Her words were simple but held worlds of meaning.

"He has your eyes."

**x**

**x**

**Arranged or Ordained  
**(_Inuyasha and Kagome_)

**x**

"He did what?!"

"I'm sorry to spring this on you now, Kagome. I know you're sad about the well sealing. I would have waited, but there was no time to put it off. He'll be here any second."

"You can't seriously be thinking of making me go through with this, Mama. An arranged marriage? It's archaic! I won't do it!"

"I think you should at least meet the man, Kagome. Your father _did_ promise you to him years ago, so we owe him that courtesy. The final decision is yours, though. Goodness, that's him."

Kagome turned and anger fled. "Inuyasha?"

**x**

**x**

**Irony  
**_(Miroku)_

**x**

Almost my entire life had been lived with a single goal in mind. It was always there at the back of my consciousness, guiding my steps toward my destiny. The greatest things to ever happen to me -friendship and even love- came about because of that quest.

I will remember the moment that the kazaana was erased until the day I die; not only for the ending it brought, but also for the beginning it enabled. It wasn't something I could imagine regretting. . . And yet, if only I still had that curse, I could have saved them all.

**x**


	2. Drop 6: Acknowledgement

****

Acknowledgement

_By Lady of the Ink  
_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but you knew that . . .I hope. But I do own this plot and all the twists that it takes.

****

x

x

Acknowledgement

_**x**_

_(Sesshomaru)_

When the changed scent of Inuyasha came to Sesshomaru, he set off to find out both its cause and its meaning. It might have been because he was always looking for a way to retrieve the sword that should have been his. Or it could have been because he had learned to keep an eye on his foolish half brother.

Or maybe the true reason would never be guessed nor believed. After all, surely one of the greatest demon lords didn't feel emotions such as hope, and certainly not over the possibility of a family member that could be acknowledged.


	3. Drop 7: The Price

**The Price  
**_By Lady of the Ink  
_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but you knew that . . .I hope. But I do own this plot and all the twists that it takes.

**x**

**x**

**The Price  
**_Kagome_

**x**

Kagome never thought much about the possible consequences of traveling through time. That changed when she noticed the first streak of gray in her hair. When there was no black left by her eighteenth birthday, she gave it more thought than she'd ever given anything. By nineteen, when wrinkles covered her once smooth face, it was all she ever thought about. Healer, doctor, scroll, and book offered no answers and so she searched on. It was only when her family laid her to rest, seeming ancient at twenty-one, that they accepted the truth.

Time exacts its price on all things.


	4. Drop 8: The Thief

****

The Thief

_By Lady of the Ink  
_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but you knew that . . .I hope. But I do own this plot and all the twists that it takes.

****

x

x

The Thief

_Inuyasha_

**x**

It was all over the news.

Across Japan, pieces of jewelry were being taken in the dark of night. The thief, who was too skilled to ever be spotted, also seemed to be picky. Only a specific type of pink-hued stone was ever taken.

A year after beginning his quest, the thief had finally collected all the pieces of the shattered Shikon no Tama. Clutching them tightly in a clawed hand, memories raced through his mind of friends who had once fought and died by his side. Soon he would see them again.

Closing his eyes, Inuyasha made his wish.


	5. Drop 9: Knowing

**Knowing  
**_By Lady of the Ink  
_**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha, but you knew that . . .I hope. But I do own this plot and all the twists that it takes.

**x**

**x**

**Knowing  
**_Kagome, Mrs. Higurashi_

**x**

Over the course of her many returns to the Feudal Era, Kagome had developed a routine. She would go through her oversized pack, carefully arranging everything to make room for the necessities: the restocked first aid kit, her clothes, schoolbooks, and, of course, Inuyasha's ramen.

When she'd finished packing, she would make the rounds to say goodbye to her family. With a final wave and a call of "I'm going back now!" she'd vanish into the wellhouse.

The day that she slipped and said "I'm going home now!" was the day Mrs. Higurashi accepted how her daughter's journey would end.


	6. Drops 10 & 11

**Drops 10 and 11  
**_By Lady of the Ink  
_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but you knew that . . .I hope. But I do own this plot and all the twists that it takes.

**x**

**Too Late  
**_Inuyasha, Kagome_

**_x_**

Inuyasha had once overheard Sango and Kagome talking about wedding dresses. He had thought it sounded stupid at the time. Why would anyone want a dress that was difficult to walk in and that you only wore once?

When he looked through Kagome's window to find her wearing one, Inuyasha found the answer. Draped in the silky fabric, she looked like an angel. He lost his breath as he watched, thinking he would be happy just to look at her like that forever. It wasn't until she left the room that he realized her outfit meant he'd missed his chance.

**x**

**It Wasn't You  
**_Inuyasha, Kagome_

**x**

Kagome stood in the middle of her room. She was wearing the wedding gown that she had labored so hard to pick out. Her bouquet rested on the bed; her shoes were by the door. She took neither of them as she hurried from her room.

She had just stepped outside when a flash of red caught her eye. "Inuyasha!" she yelled, causing him to turn slowly. The expression on his face told her she had made the right choice. Throwing herself into his arms, she whispered, "The wedding was this morning. I couldn't go. Not if it wasn't you"


	7. Drops 12, 13, & 14

**Drops 12, 13, and 14  
**_By Lady of the Ink  
_**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha, but you knew that . . .I hope. But I do own this plot and all the twists that it takes.

**x**

**What's in a Name: Inuyasha  
**_Inuyasha_

**_x_**

Inuyasha had been called many names. He'd learned that the one someone chose could tell him exactly what they saw him as.

Humans tended to look no further than his ears, fangs, or claws before screaming out _demon_. Demons caught one whiff of his scent before sneering _half-breed_ like a curse. Sesshomaru's tone was always tinged in a way that made his derision for his _little brother_ clear when they spoke. The only person to ever say his name like she saw and liked every side of him was Kagome.

And that meant more to him than she'd ever know.

**x**

**What's in a Name: Kagome  
**_Kagome_

**_x_**

Kagome had never given her name much thought. It was just always there, not so horrible that she hated it or so spectacular that it stood out.

It wasn't until later that she realized the importance of a name wasn't the word itself but the meanings it carried. When it was said by her family, it meant loved one; said by her schoolmates, it meant friend. From Miroku and Sango it meant close, trusted person on the same path through life.

But Kagome loved her name the most when it was spoken by Inuyasha. Coming from him, it meant everything.

**x**

**What's in a Name: Sango  
**_Sango_

**x**

Taijiya.

It was a name that marked a clan, a trade earned through sweat and blood, an honored title that had been revered and respected for generations.

To Sango, it was also a curse.

As much pride as she had in carrying it, she hated the way it made people look at her. It was like she ceased being a real person and became just a one dimensional expression of their expectations.

Except Miroku. When he looked at her, she knew he was seeing beyond the armor. And through his eyes, she found new pride in just being a woman.

**x**

**A/N:** The idea for Sango's "drop" came first and the others sort of followed after. The theme of "names" just seemed to fit all three of them really well so I decided to do a set. The first thing almost anyone does when they see Inuyasha is yell out _what_ he is, which has got to be annoying since he's not entirely one thing or another. Kagome made such a big deal about Inuyasha using her name in the beginning, I just thought it would neat to see that it still has an effect on her. The last paragraph of Sango's is kind of tongue in cheek if you take Miroku's behavior into account.


End file.
